Ruckers capable of rucking fixed diameter coverings and associated devices, methods, systems and computer program products

ABSTRACT

Methods, apparatus and associated devices for rucking sleeves of covering material onto a chute body include a translating member disposed in a housing having an axis of movement configured to reciprocally translate a chute body about the axis of movement; and at least one gripping member disposed in the housing in cooperating alignment with the translating member. Each at least one gripping member has a gripping edge portion that defines a gripping surface. The at least one gripping member configured to reciprocally translate substantially orthogonal to the axis of movement. In operation, the at least one gripping member has an automated stroke cycle whereby the at least one gripping member is configured to travel inwardly a distance sufficient to snugly abut an outer surface of the chute body while the chute body travels in a first direction about the axis of movement and to travel outwardly a sufficient distance to prevent contact with the chute body while the chute body travels in a second opposing direction about the axis of movement.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/698,568, filed Jul. 12, 2005, the contents ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to ruckers that can be used to loadsleeves of material onto product chutes that, in operation, release thecovering material to package products therein, and may be particularlysuitable for fixed diameter covering materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Certain types of commodity and/or industrial items can be packaged byplacing the desired product(s) in a covering material and then applyinga closure clip or clips to end portions of the covering material tosecure the product(s) therein. For non-flowable piece goods, the piecegoods can be held individually in a respective clipped package, or as agroup of goods in a single package. The covering material can be anysuitable material, typically a casing and/or netting material.

Generally described, when packaging a piece good product in netting, theproduct is manually pushed through a netting chute. The product caninclude, by way of example, a non-flowable semi-solid and/or solidobject such as a meat product including whole or half hams, turkey,chicken, and the like. The netting chute holds a length of a nettingsleeve over the exterior thereof. A first downstream end portion of thenetting is typically closed using a first clip. As the product exits thenetting chute, it is covered with the netting. An operator can thenorient the product inside the netting between the discharge end of thechute and the clipped first end portion of the netting. The operator canthen pull the netting so that the netting is held relatively tight(typically stretched or in tension) over the product. The operator thenuses his/her hands to compress or gather the open end of the netting(upstream of the product) and then manually applies a clip to thenetting, typically using a Tipper Tie® double clipper apparatus. A clipattachment apparatus or “clippers” are well known to those of skill inthe art and include those available from Tipper Tie, Inc., of Apex,N.C., including product numbers Z3214, Z3202, and Z3200. Examples ofclip attachment apparatus and/or packaging apparatus are described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,389,533; 3,499,259; 4,683,700; 5,161,347, andco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/951,578 (Pub. No.US-2005-0039419-A1), the contents of these documents are herebyincorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.

The double clipper concurrently applies two clips to the nettingproximate the open (upstream) end of the package. One clip defines thefirst end portion of the next package and the other defines the trailingor second end portion of the package then being closed. A cuttingmechanism incorporated in the clipper apparatus can sever the twopackages before the enclosed package is removed from the clipperapparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,713 describes a double clipper apparatusused to apply two clips to a casing covering. U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,701proposes a clipper with a clip attachment mechanism configured toselectively fasten a single clip or two clips simultaneously. Themechanism has two punches, one of which is driven directly by apneumatic cylinder and the other of which is connected to the firstpunch using a pin and key assembly. The pin and key assembly allows thepunches to be coupled or decoupled to the pneumatic cylinder drive toapply one single clip or two clips simultaneously. U.S. Pat. No.5,586,424 proposes an apparatus for movement of U-shaped clips along arail. The apparatus includes a clip feed for advancing clips on a guiderail and the arm is reciprocally driven by a piston and cylinderarrangement. The contents of each of these patents are herebyincorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.

To place a sleeve of the selected covering on the product chute, anautomated or semi-automated rucker may be employed. This type of processis often described by those of skill in the art as “shirring” or“rucking”. In the past, ruckers have been configured to reciprocate anetting tube or chute vertically to load the netting. Generally stated,the netting is stretched over the chute and stationary spring-loadedfingers circumferentially surround the tube and engage with openings innetting to pull segments of netting over the outer surface of thenetting chute so that the netting covers a substantial portion of thelength of the chute. In operation, the fingers flex from a normalhorizontal orientation to contact the netting and carry the netting downduring an upward stroke of the netting chute and slide over the nettingduring the downward stroke of the chute. An example of a prior artrucker that uses circumferentially mounted paddles that flex downwardwhen the chute travels down to avoid the netting is described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,273,481, the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference as if recited in full herein.

Unfortunately, conventional ruckers may not be suitable for shirring oneor more of fixed diameter materials, delicate compression fit netting,or materials that may be susceptible to breaking and/or have lessresilience than conventional elastic open weave netting types. Inaddition, conventional ruckers may not be suitably configured to operatewith non-cylindrical product chutes.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Some embodiments of the present invention provide ruckers that arecapable of rucking fixed diameter covering materials, delicate and/orrelatively inelastic covering materials, and/or ruckers that canaccommodate non-circular profiles.

Some embodiments are directed to apparatus for rucking sleeves ofcovering material onto a chute body. The apparatus include: (a) ahousing; (b) a translating member disposed in the housing having an axisof movement configured to reciprocally translate a chute body about theaxis of movement; and (c) at least one gripping member disposed in thehousing in cooperating alignment with the translating member. Each atleast one gripping member has a gripping edge portion that defines agripping surface. The at least one gripping member is configured toreciprocally translate generally orthogonal to the axis of movement. Inoperation, the at least one gripping member has an automated strokecycle whereby the at least one gripping member is configured to travelinwardly a distance sufficient to snugly abut an outer surface of thechute body while the chute body travels in a first direction about theaxis of movement and to travel outwardly a sufficient distance toprevent contact with the chute body while the chute body travels in asecond opposing direction about the axis of movement.

Other embodiments are directed toward automated methods of nickingsleeves of covering material onto a product chute. The methods include:automatically reciprocally translating a product chute between a firstdirection and an opposing second direction about an axis of movement;and automatically reciprocally translating a plurality of grippingmembers substantially orthogonally to the axis of movement while theproduct chute is translating so that: (a) the gripping members abut theproduct chute while the product chute is traveling in the firstdirection; and (b) the gripping members are translating away from or arein a retracted configuration spaced apart from the product chute whilethe product chute is traveling in the second direction.

Other embodiments are directed toward computer program products foroperating an automated rucking apparatus. The computer program productincludes a computer readable storage medium having computer readableprogram code embodied in the medium. The computer-readable program codeincludes: (a) computer readable program code configured to direct themovement of a translating member to automatically reciprocally cause theproduct chute to move in opposing directions about an axis of movementwith decreasing distance stroke cycles over a rucking operation; and (b)computer readable program code configured to direct a plurality ofgripping members to automatically reciprocally move in a direction thatis generally orthogonal to the axis of movement, with the movement ofthe gripping members being timed to cause the gripping members to snuglyabut the product chute when the translating member is moving in thefirst direction and to cause the gripping members to move away from theproduct chute when the translating member is moving in the seconddirection.

Other embodiment are directed to loading caps for a nicker apparatusthat include a pair of cooperating spring-loaded members attached toeach other to be resiliently compressible side-to-side.

In some embodiments, the loading cap may have a non-circular perimetershape. In other embodiments, the loading cap may have a generally orsubstantially circular profile. In particular embodiments, the pair ofmembers may be configured as substantial mirror images of each other anddefine a loading cap with a generally arcuate profile portion thatmerges into a generally planar portion.

Other embodiments are directed to loading caps for a rucker apparatusthat are sized and configured to extend a proximal distance above afirst end of a product chute. The loading cap has a first internalportion that is sized and configured to reside a distance inside theproduct chute and a second external portion overlying the first portionwith an increased cross-sectional area sufficient to cause the outeredge portions thereof to reside outside the bounds of the first end ofthe product chute. The second portion of the loading cap has roundedouter edges that contact and guide covering material being pulled overthe chute to thereby inhibit contact with the first end of the productchute.

These and other objects and/or aspects of the present invention areexplained in detail in the specification set forth below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a portion of a rucker according to embodimentsof the present invention.

FIGS. 2A, 3A and 4A are schematic front view illustrations of serialrucker operations according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 2B, 3B and 4B are schematic top view illustrations of the ruckershowing the gripper members in position relative to the chute, in theoperations of FIGS. 2A, 3A, and 4A, respectively, according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of operations that can be used to carry outmethods of rucking covering materials onto a chute according toembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of a rucker with a housing enclosingcertain features according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a different side perspective view of the rucker shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a portion of the rucker shown inFIG. 6, with an access door or panel open, illustrating an interior viewprior to a chute being loaded therein according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an automated or semi-automated ruckeraccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10A is an enlarged perspective view of an upper portion of therucker shown in FIG. 6, illustrating the gripping members in an extendedconfiguration according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10B is an enlarged perspective view of an upper portion of therucker shown in FIG. 10A, illustrated with the gripping members in aretracted configuration according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10C is a top view of the rucker illustrating two gripper membersresiding against opposing sides of a product (netting) chute andassociated respective actuators according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11A is a side view of the rucker with a chute in position at alower operative position according to embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11B is a side view of the rucker shown in FIG. 1A, but illustratingthe chute in an upper operative position according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of an upper portion of the ruckershown in FIG. 6, with a chute and a loading cap assembly in positionaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a front perspective view of a loading cap assembly accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a side perspective view of the loading cap assembly shown inFIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a side perspective view of the rucker shown in FIG. 6 withthe chute and loading cap in position according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 16C-16F are schematic illustrations of exemplary alternativegripping member configurations and alternative chute profileconfigurations according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is schematic illustration of an alternative translationorientation according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of a data processing system/computer programaccording to embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying figures, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout. In the figures, certain layers, components or features maybe exaggerated for clarity, and broken lines illustrate optionalfeatures or operations, unless specified otherwise. In addition, thesequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presentedin the claims unless specifically indicated otherwise. Where used, theterms “attached”, “connected”, “contacting”, “coupling” and the like,can mean either directly or indirectly, unless stated otherwise. Theterm “concurrently” means that the operations are carried outsubstantially simultaneously.

In the description of the present invention that follows, certain termsare employed to refer to the positional relationship of certainstructures relative to other structures. As used herein, the term“front” or “forward” and derivatives thereof refer to the general orprimary direction that the clips travel toward a target product forclosure and/or the direction that the target filled or stuffed productin casing material travel; this term is intended to be synonymous withthe term “downstream,” which is often used in manufacturing or materialflow environments to indicate that certain material traveling or beingacted upon is farther along in that process than other material.Conversely, the terms “rearward” and “upstream” and derivatives thereofrefer to the directions opposite, respectively, the forward anddownstream directions.

As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items. As used herein, phases such as “between X and Y” and“between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. Asused herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between aboutX and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean“from about X to about Y.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the specification andrelevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overlyformal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions orconstructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

The term “automated” and “automatic” refers to operations that arecarried out without requiring manual assistance and are typicallycarried out using electronic controls and programmatic direction. Theterms also contemplate the use of manual activation of the automaticoperations. The term “iteratively” means to generally successivelyadjust (typically decrease) the stroke distance of the translatingmember after each stroke or a number of successive strokes. The term“frame” means a generally skeletal structure used to support one or moreassemblies, modules and/or components. The term “modular” means that asubassembly is designed with standardized dimensions, mounting featuresand/or configurations for interchangeable use with replacement modulesof the same or similar type and/or other selected different modules.

The present invention is particularly suitable for providing coveringmaterials that may employ closure clips to enclose discrete objects inthe covering material. The covering material may be natural or syntheticand may be a casing material that can be sealed about a product or maybe netting. The casing can be any suitable casing (edible or inedible,natural or synthetic) such as, but not limited to, collagen, cellulose,plastic, elastomeric or polymeric casing. The term “netting” refers toany open mesh material formed by any means including, for example,knotted, braided, extruded, stamped, knitted, woven or otherwise.Typically, the netting is configured so as to be stretchable in bothaxial and lateral directions, but fixed diameter netting or covering mayalso be used. In some embodiments, the covering material is a fixeddiameter or compression netting material (known as “fixed diameter net”)comprising cotton, available from Jif Pak (Vista, Calif.) and PCM(Greenville, S.C.). In some embodiments, the covering material issubstantially non-elastic or frangible when laterally stretched morethan 10%, and typically cannot be stretched, without unacceptabledegradation, more than 5% beyond the bounds of the underlying targetchute. In some embodiments, the covering can be a generally closed weavedelicate and/or relatively inelastic material (at least in the non-axialdimension).

Netting or other covering material may be used to package discrete meatproducts such as loaves of meat, boned ham, spiral sliced ham, debonedham, turkey, turkey loaves held in molds, or other meat or items,directly or with the items held in subcontainers and/or wraps such asmolds, trays, boxes, bags, absorbent or protective sheets, sealant, cansand the like. Other embodiments of the present invention may be directedto package other types of food such as cheese, bread, fruit, vegetables,and the like. Examples of non-food items that may be packaged usingembodiments of the present invention include living items such as flora,trees, and the like, as well as inanimate objects. Additional examplesof products include discrete, semi-solid or solid non-flowable objectssuch as firewood, pet food (typically held in a container if the wettype), recreational objects (such as toy or game balls), or other solidor semi-solid objects. The product may be packaged for any suitableindustry including horticulture, aquaculture, agriculture, or other foodindustry, environmental, chemical, explosive, or other application.Netting may be particularly useful to package ham or turkeys,manufactured hardware such as automotive parts, firewood, explosives,molded products, and other industrial, consumable, and/or commodityitem(s).

Embodiments of the present invention may be particularly suitable foroperating with delicate substantially inelastic (at least in the radialdirection) netting, such as cotton fiber fixed diameter coverings thatmay be configured to hold large meat products, such as meat productsweighing over 20 pounds, typically about 35-40 pounds. In someembodiments, the sleeves of covering placed on the product chute can begreater than or equal to about 120 feet in length and sufficient toenclose between about 50-80 discrete hams, and typically about 60discrete hams.

In some embodiments, the covering is a closed weave material comprisingcotton that is used to control the size of ham steaks to provideconsistency in steak size, ham to ham. The tight weave of the coveringis such that there is very little stretch (i.e., fixed diameter) suchthat the cross-sectional size (when stretched) is very close to that ofthe chute.

Generally stated, embodiments of the present invention are directed atautomating the rucking of covering materials onto chutes that are usedto package piece goods or discrete items by forcing the goods through aproduct chute and wrapping or enveloping the objects at the other end ofthe product chute in a covering material, such as netting as one or moreof the goods exit the chute. In some embodiments, after the product(s)is enclosed in the packaging, a clip(s) or other attachment means can beautomatically or semi-automatically applied to the covering material tothereby close a leading and/or trailing edge of the covering and holdthe object or objects inside of the covering material. As noted above,clippers are available from Tipper Tie, Inc., of Apex, N.C. Examples ofsuitable clips include metallic generally “U”-shaped clips availablefrom Tipper Tie, Inc., in Apex, N.C. Other clips, clip materials andclip configurations or closure means may also be used.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary rucker apparatus 10 is shown. Therucker 10 includes a translating member 40, typically a translatingplatform 40 as shown, configured to reciprocally translate a chute 20about an axis of movement 40 a and two spaced apart cooperating members50 ₁, 50 ₂ configured to reciprocally translate inward and outward,typically generally orthogonal to the axis of movement to thereby pulllengths of covering 30 over a length of the chute 20. The translatingmember 40 can be a bracket or other suitable mechanism that is able tocontrollably translate the chute during operation. In addition, althoughshown as two generally opposing cooperating gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂,more or lesser numbers of gripping members may be used. In theembodiment shown, the chute 20 includes a mounting plate 20 p thatengages an air-actuated locking member 44 to help secure the chute 20 inposition so that the lower portion of the chute travels with (andresides against) the mounting platform 40.

As shown, the rucker 10 can include a housing 42 that sits on a table 45having a height sufficient to allow a translating actuator and cylinder41 (FIGS. 2A, 3A, 4A) (such as a piston) to retract under the table top45 t placing the translating member 40 in its resting, loading,retracted or home position. The housing 42 is typically stationary andthe gripping members can be generally fixed at an upper location of thehousing at a desired position along to the axis of movement 40 a whilethe chute 20 and translating member typically reciprocally move aboutthe axis of movement 40 a.

FIG. 5 illustrates operations that can be used to carry out embodimentsof the present invention. As shown, the product chute can bereciprocally translated between a fist direction and an opposing seconddirection about the axis of movement (block 100). The plurality ofgripping members can be reciprocally translated generally, andtypically, substantially, orthogonally to the axis of movement while theproduct chute is translating so that the gripping members snugly abutagainst the product chute only when the chute is traveling in the firstdirection (block 125). In some embodiments, the gripping members canconverge on the chute independently from opposing sides of the chute(block 115).

As shown by the exemplary operations in FIGS. 2A-4A, in operation, thegripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ contact the chute 20 with a certain pressureas the chute 20 is translated upward (FIGS. 2A, 2B). The grippingmembers 50 ₁, 50 ₂ press the covering material 30 against the outer wallof the chute 20 and pull the covering material 30 down (FIG. 3A, 3B).When the chute 20 reaches a desired upward position (associated with atravel distance) along the axis of movement, the gripping members 50 ₁,50 ₂ release the covering material 30 while the chute travels downward(FIGS. 4A, 4B). The rucker 10 may also be configured to operate in thereverse so that the gripper members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ contact the chute as thechute travels downward to pull the covering material 30 and release thechute 20 when it is moving upward. Combinations of the above may also beused. In addition, other axis of movements can also be used, such ashorizontal or angular.

In other embodiments, the chute 20 may be held generally stationary withthe gripping members 50 configured to translate along the axis ofmovement as well as generally orthogonal thereto.

In any event, the translation along the axis of movement 40 a (typicallythe chute) can have different stroke lengths so as to distribute lengthsof the covering over a desired length of the chute. Typically, the firststroke is the longest and the last is the shortest. The translatingmember 40 can be configured so that the chute 20 may also stall a shorttime after it reaches an extended position(s). The chute 20 may beconfigured to travel the same distance several times to pull bunches ofcovering over a localized region of the chute before distributingcovering to an upstream location on the chute 20. The translating memberactuator 41 can be configured to travel decreasing stroke lengthswhereby the chute 20 and platform 40 are translated at iterativelylesser distances to pull covering material over different portions ofthe chute body.

As shown in FIGS. 2A, 3A and 4A, the table top 45 t can include anaperture 45 a that allows a fluid actuated cylinder 41 mounted under thetable top 45 t to automatically move the translating member 40 throughits operative stroke cycle (reciprocally from extended and retractedpositions). In other embodiments, the rucker actuation cylinder 41 mayreside in a pit to allow the chute 20 to load into the rucker at floorlevel (not shown). In still other embodiments, the rucker 10 may beoriented to load the chute 20 while the chute is held generallyhorizontally (FIG. 17) or angularly (not shown).

FIG. 6 illustrates that the rucker can include a pressure distributionand regulation system 47 that have fluid lines that connect to actuatorsto automatically actuate the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂, the lockingmember 44 (FIG. 1) and/or the translating member 40. The actuators canbe air actuators and the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ can include atleast one regulator 46 that controls the pressure that the grippingmembers 50 ₁, 50 ₂ apply to the chute body 20 as well as stroke length,speed and the like to distribute the covering material 30. Thetranslating member 40 can include a separate regulator 43 to control itsoperating pressure. In some embodiments, the regulator 46 can beconfigured to provide between about 30-80 psi, and typically betweenabout 40-60 psi of gripping member 50 ₁, 50 ₂ pressure to the chute 20.The translating member regulator 43 can be configured to provide between60-100 psi, and typically between about 80-90 psi, to the translatingmember 40 (to translate the chute 20) during operation. The translatingmember actuator (and/or gripper member actuator(s)) can be an adjustablevariable speed actuator.

FIGS. 6 and 7 also illustrate that the rucker 10 can include a stopmember 60 held by a bracket 61 at a height that is at the maximumdistance traveled by the chute 20. In other embodiments, the stop member60 may be configured to slide (incrementally down) as the strokedistance of the chute reduces during a shirring operation. As shown thestop member 60 can include a roller.

The rucker 10 can be configured to inhibit operation until the chute 20is in proper position and the access door of the housing 42 closed. Anoperator switch 45 s can be used to initiate operation. In otherembodiments, the rucker 10 can be configured to automatically initiateoperation when the chute 20 is loaded (which can be automaticallyelectronically confirmed using a proximity sensor and/or other positionsensor and/or when the air lock 44 is engaged) and the door closed.

FIG. 8 illustrates the rucker 10 with an access door 42 d open and readyfor loading a chute. The translating member 40 (shown as the platform)can be in communication with coil springs 40 s or other shock absorbingor resilient mounting means to facilitate reciprocal movement of thechute and/or inhibit wear on the system. Examples of other resilientmeans include, leaf springs, elastomer grommets, and pistons.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary control/operational diagram 150according to embodiments of the present invention. As shown, acontroller 200 can communicate with the gripper members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ andthe translating member 40. The controller 200 can be configured tocontrol the desired reciprocal translation speed and stroke distances ofthe gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ (together or independently) and thetranslating member 40 as well as the timing of operation to synchronizethe operations. The controller 200 can be configured to control theactuation of the gripping member actuator(s) 190 and the translatingmember actuator 41. In some embodiments, a stroke (chute/translatingmember) position sensor 49 can be configured (typically at a bottomportion of the housing proximate the lowest position of the chute duringthe stroke cycle) to provide feedback to the controller 200. In otherembodiments, a common pressure regulator can be used and differentpressure regulation control means may be configured to apply the desiredpressure to the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ (together or independently)and the translating member 40.

In some embodiments, one gripper member 50 ₁, 50 ₂ may converge (and/ormove away) to contact the chute body 20 before the other. In otherembodiments, the gripper members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ may be configured toconverge (and/or move away) substantially concurrently.

The gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ may be configured to operate based on asingle actuator or multiple actuators. When using a single actuator, alinking mechanism can be used to force the gripping members against thebody using the single actuator (not shown). In some embodiments, eachgripping member or pairs of gripping members or combinations thereof(where more than two gripping members are used) may be configured tooperate with a respective actuator 190 ₁, 190 ₂ (FIG. 10C) that can becontrolled by the controller 200.

As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, during loading, the chute 20may lean (axially away from the direction of movement) as the chuterises from the mounting bracket 44 until the gripper members 50 ₁, 50 ₂both close against the body of the chute. During operation, when thechute 20 travels upward without the gripper members engaged, the chute20 may lean to be slightly misaligned with the axis of movement.However, as the gripping members contact the chute 20 and pull thecovering material thereon, the chute 20 is typically held substantiallyaxially aligned with the axis of movement 40 a.

FIG. 10A illustrates the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ in an exemplaryextended configuration while FIG. 10B illustrates them in an exemplaryretracted configuration (with the chute not shown). The stroke distanceand/or gripping pressure of the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ can beadjusted to accommodate different size chutes (and/or type of coveringmaterial). The gripping member actuator(s) 190 (FIG. 10C) can beconfigured to operate and accept differently configured gripping membersthereby providing replaceable gripping-member modular assemblies. Thegripping members 50 can be configured so that they do not use the fullrange of their stroke length to contact the chute body. The modularconfiguration of the gripper members can allow the rucker 10 toaccommodate different size and/or shape chutes 20 with minimal set-uptime. The controller 200 can be configured (typically at an OEM site,but can be field upgraded) with different running program modules (whichmay vary speed, stroke distance, gripping pressure, timing and the like)depending on the running configuration of the chute and/or grippingmembers and/or covering material.

FIGS. 10A and 10B also illustrate that the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂have a gripping edge portion 50 e with a gripping surface 50 s. In theembodiment shown, a first gripping member 50 ₁ has a generally planargripping surface profile while the second gripping member 50 ₂ has acurvilinear (typically semi-arcuate) profile. The gripping surface 50 scan be provided as replaceable pads of gripping material havingsufficient frictional properties to allow suitable gripping withoutbeing unduly abrasive to the target covering. In some embodiments, thegripping surface comprises a urethane material. As shown in FIG. 10A,the gripping material 50 m is sandwiched between two metal plates 51,52. In other embodiments, the gripping material 50 m may be provided asa coating and/or spacer on an outer edge of a supporting member. Othergripping surfaces, configurations, and materials may be used.

The gripping edge portion 50 e can be structurally sufficiently rigidand mounted to substantially retain its shape and orientation duringoperation (both when contacting the chute and when not in contact withthe chute). The gripping edge portion 50 e and corresponding grippingsurface 50 s can have a substantially constant shape and orientationthat is substantially inflexible in the direction of the axis ofmovement.

The gripping member configuration typically employs less than fourspaced apart gripping members disposed at a common (typically fixed)axial location about the axis of movement.

As shown in FIGS. 2B-4B, the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ can beconfigured so that their respective gripping edge portions 50 e (andcontact surfaces 50 s) (FIG. 10A) cumulatively extend over at leastabout 25%, typically at least about 30%, and more typically betweenabout 40-60%. In some embodiments, the edge portions are configured sothat cumulatively they occupy less than about 80%, typically less thanabout 70% of a perimeter line drawn about a cross sectional outersurface of the chute body at the axial location of the gripping members50 ₁, 50 ₂.

The gripping member configuration can be such that the respectivegripping surfaces of each member 50 each occupies at least about 10% ofthe perimeter cross-sectional distance of the chute and so that,cumulatively, the gripping members occupy less than about 70% of theperimeter cross-sectional distance.

In some embodiments, the gripping members comprise four or less grippingmembers with gripping surfaces that combined provide a profile that isgenerally conformal to at least about 40% (and typically less than 80%)of a cross-sectional perimeter shape of the chute and thecross-sectional shape can be non-circular. In other embodiments, theshape may be generally or substantially circular.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show that the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ can becooperating gripping members that are spaced apart and disposedgenerally opposing each other across the axis of movement. As discussedabove, the cooperating pair of gripping members may travel through theirrespective automated stroke cycles substantially in concert with eachother.

FIG. 10C is a top view of an exemplary gripping member configuration. Asshown, each gripping member 50 ₁, 50 ₂ is in communication with arespective actuator 190 ₁, 190 ₂. The gripping member actuators 190 ₁,190 ₂ can comprise a twin bore cylinder configuration to inhibit thegripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ from pivoting as they contact the chute 20during operation thereby stabilizing a desired contact orientation. Thestabilized orientation allows for the gripper members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ tosubstantially conform to the cross-sectional shape of the chute asshown.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate the chute 20 in the rucker 10 with the door42 d of the device removed for clarity. FIG. 11A illustrates the chute20 in a typical lowermost (load) position. FIG. 11B illustrates thechute 20 in an uppermost position. As shown, the gripper members 50 ₁,50 ₂ reside in the same (longitudinal) location on the axis of movement.The translating member 40 is shown as a translating platform that hasapertures (40 a, FIG. 10C) that slide over slide rails 41 r as theactuator 41 rod advances and retracts.

FIG. 12 illustrates a loading cap 90 sized and configured to resideinside the chute and extend above a first end of the chute 20 to helpguide the covering material over the chute body (particularly away fromany sharp or blunt leading edges). FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate theloading cap 90. As shown, the loading cap 90 can have a first internalportion 91 that is sized and configured to reside a distance inside thechute 20 and a second external portion 92 overlying the first portion 91with an increased cross-sectional area sufficient to cause the outeredge portions thereof to reside outside the bounds of the first end ofthe chute (FIG. 12). The second portion 92 of the loading cap 90 canhave rounded outer edges 92 r that contact covering material 30 beingpulled over the chute 20 to inhibit contact with the edge of the chute20. The loading cap 90 can facilitate the starting (leading) edge of thecovering to be stretched down over the chute 20. The loading cap 90 canhave a primary body that comprises a polymer such as Delrin® acetalhomopolymer.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the loading cap 90 can have a non-circularperimeter shape. In some embodiments, the loading cap 90 comprisesspaced apart first and second members 94, 95 with a generally medial gap96 therebetween. The first and second members 94, 95 can be springloaded (98) to be able to compress or move side-to side between anexpanded configuration before insertion into the chute 20 and acompressed position when in operative position in the chute 20 to snuglyreside in the end portion of the chute abutting the inner wall thereofas shown in FIG. 15. The loading cap 90 can also include an upwardlyextending handle that is attached to the first member 94 and the secondmember 95. As also shown, the first member 94 and second member 95 canbe configured to be substantial mirror images of each other and define aloading cap 90 with a generally arcuate profile portion that merges intoa generally planar portion.

FIGS. 16A-16G illustrate different exemplary gripper edge portionconfigurations, 50 a-50 g, respectively, and different examples of chuteconfigurations 20 a-20 g, respectively. FIGS. 16A, 16B, 16C, 16E, 16Fillustrate the use of two gripping members 50 a, 50 b, 50 c, 50 e, and50 f, each having similar or different shapes from each other andconfigured to accommodate different shaped chute cross-sectional shapes.The grippers (and/or gripper pads) can be interchangeable to operatewith common gripper actuator(s) to allow the same nicker 10 to be usedwith different shape chutes. FIGS. 16D and 16G illustrates the use ofthree gripper members 50 d, 50 g, respectively.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention can accommodatedifferently shaped chutes, different grippers, different brakingpressures, different stroke lengths for different length chutes,different coverings, and the like.

As discussed above, FIG. 17 illustrates that the operative orientationof the chute 20 and translating member 40 can be non-vertical, such ashorizontal, with the gripping members 50 ₁, 50 ₂ configured to translatevertically.

The operation and/or sequence of events may be programmaticallycontrolled by a programmable logic controller. Certain operations may beselected by an operator input using a Human Machine Interface (“HMI”) tocommunicate with the controller as is well known to those of skill inthe art.

FIG. 18 is a block diagram of exemplary embodiments of data processingsystems that illustrates systems, methods, and computer program productsin accordance with embodiments of the present invention. The dataprocessing systems may be incorporated in a programmable logiccontroller and/or be in communication therewith. The processor 410communicates with the memory 414 via an address/data bus 448. Theprocessor 410 can be any commercially available or custommicroprocessor. The memory 414 is representative of the overallhierarchy of memory devices containing the software and data used toimplement the functionality of the data processing system. The memory414 can include, but is not limited to, the following types of devices:cache, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, SRAM, and DRAM.

As shown in FIG. 18, the memory 414 may include several categories ofsoftware and data used in the data processing system: the operatingsystem 452; the application programs 454; the input/output (I/O) devicedrivers 458; Cooperating Movement Module to Direct Synchronization of aTranslating Member and Gripping Members 450; and the data 456.

The data 451 may include a look-up chart of cycle times, synchronizationdata, different coverings, different chutes, covering material lengths,sensor feedback, safety interlock circuits and the like 456corresponding to particular or target products for one or moreproducers, which may allow an operator to select certain operationalparameters at the start of each shift, each rucking cycle, and/orproduction run and the like.

As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the operatingsystem 452 may be any operating system suitable for use with a dataprocessing system, such as OS/2, AIX, DOS, OS/390 or System390 fromInternational Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., Windows CE,Windows NT, Windows95, Windows98 or Windows2000 from MicrosoftCorporation, Redmond, Wash., Unix or Linux or FreeBSD, Palm OS fromPalm, Inc., Mac OS from Apple Computer, LabView, or proprietaryoperating systems. The I/O device drivers 458 typically include softwareroutines accessed through the operating system 452 by the applicationprograms 454 to communicate with devices such as I/O data port(s), datastorage 456 and certain memory 414 components. The application programs454 are illustrative of the programs that implement the various featuresof the data processing system and preferably include at least oneapplication, which supports operations according to embodiments of thepresent invention. Finally, the data 456 represents the static anddynamic data used by the application programs 454, the operating system452, the I/O device drivers 458, and other software programs that mayreside in the memory 414.

While the present invention is illustrated, for example, with referenceto the the Module 450 being an application program in FIG. 18, as willbe appreciated by those of skill in the art, other configurations mayalso be utilized while still benefiting from the teachings of thepresent invention. For example, the Module 450 may also be incorporatedinto the operating system 452, the I/O device drivers 458 or other suchlogical division of the data processing system. Thus, the presentinvention should not be construed as limited to the configuration ofFIG. 18, which is intended to encompass any configuration capable ofcarrying out the operations described herein.

The I/O data port can be used to transfer information between the dataprocessing system, the locking member, the translating member, thegripping members and/or another computer system or a network (e.g., theInternet) or to other devices controlled by the processor. Thesecomponents may be conventional components such as those used in manyconventional data processing systems that may be configured inaccordance with the present invention to operate as described herein.

In some embodiments, the Module 450 is configured to allow a user toselect certain parameters associated with a desired rucking strokecycle. For example, a user can select a desired repetition frequency(speed), repetition cycles per sleeve and/or per product, grippercontact force, stroke distance, and the like.

The data 456 may include a look-up chart of different casing run times(i.e., for a type of netting, selectable length and the likecorresponding to particular or target products for one or moreproducers. The data 456 may include data from a proximity sensor and/orexhaustion of a sleeve of material detector that allows the computerprogram to automatically control the operation of the rucker.

For example, certain embodiments of the present invention are directedto a computer program product in a computer readable medium with: (a)computer readable program code configured to direct the movement of atranslating member to automatically reciprocally cause the product chuteto move in opposing directions about an axis of movement with decreasingdistance stroke cycles over a rucking operation; and (b) computerreadable program code configured to direct a plurality of grippingmembers to automatically reciprocally move in a direction that isgenerally orthogonal to the axis of movement, with the movement of thegripping members being timed to cause the gripping members to snuglyabut the product chute when the translating member is moving in thefirst direction and to cause the gripping members to move away from theproduct chute when the translating member is moving in the seconddirection.

The computer program product may also include computer readable programcode that is configured to adjust the translating member and grippingmember stroke cycles and the computer readable program code that isconfigured to adjust the stroke cycles may be configured to accept userinput to select parameters associated therewith.

The computer readable program code that is configured to provideadjustable stroke cycles can be configured to provide a plurality ofpre-programmed different selectable parameters including at least oneof: (a) a plurality of translating member frequencies; (b) a pluralityof gripper pressures; and/or (c) a plurality of gripper and/ortranslating stroke distances.

While the present invention is illustrated, for example, with referenceto particular divisions of programs, functions and memories, the presentinvention should not be construed as limited to such logical divisions.Thus, the present invention should not be construed as limited to theconfiguration of FIG. 18 but is intended to encompass any configurationcapable of carrying out the operations described herein.

The flowcharts and block diagrams of certain of the figures hereinillustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possibleimplementations of embodiments of the present invention. In this regard,each block in the flow charts or block diagrams represents a module,segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executableinstructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). Itshould also be noted that in some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in thefigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact beexecuted substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionalityinvolved.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments ofthis invention have been described, those skilled in the art willreadily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined inthe claims. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses, where used, areintended to cover the structures described herein as performing therecited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalentstructures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing isillustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed aslimited to the specific embodiments disclosed, and that modifications tothe disclosed embodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended tobe included within the scope of the appended claims. The invention isdefined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to beincluded therein.

1. An apparatus for rucking sleeves of covering material onto a chutebody, comprising: a housing; a translating member disposed in thehousing having an axis of movement configured to reciprocally translatea chute body about the axis of movement; and at least one grippingmember disposed in the housing in cooperating alignment with thetranslating member, each at least one gripping member having a grippingedge portion that defines a gripping surface, the at least one grippingmember configured to reciprocally translate generally orthogonal to theaxis of movement, wherein, in operation, the at least one grippingmember has an automated stroke cycle whereby the at least one grippingmember is configured to travel inwardly a distance sufficient to snuglyabut an outer surface of the chute body while the chute body travels ina first direction about the axis of movement and to travel outwardly asufficient distance to prevent contact with the chute body while thechute body travels in a second opposing direction about the axis ofmovement.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least onegripping member is a plurality of gripping members each configured totranslate substantially orthogonal to the axis of movement in concertand apply a substantially similar contact pressure to the chute, thepressure being between about 40-60 psi.
 3. An apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the at least one gripping member is less than fourspaced apart gripping members at a common axial location about the axisof movement.
 4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the grippingedge portion and corresponding gripping surface has a substantiallyconstant shape and orientation that is substantially inflexible in thedirection of the axis of movement.
 5. An apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the at least one gripping member has a gripping edge portion isstructurally sufficiently rigid and mounted to retain its shape andorientation during operation.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the at least one gripping member is a pair of cooperatinggripping members that are spaced apart and disposed generally opposingeach other across the axis of movement.
 7. An apparatus according toclaim 6, wherein the cooperating pair of gripping members travel throughtheir respective automated stroke cycles substantially in concert witheach other.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the grippingmembers are configured so that their respective gripping edge portionscumulatively extend over at least about 25% of a perimeter line drawnabout a cross sectional outer surface of the chute body at the axiallocation of the gripping members.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 8,wherein the plurality of gripping members is two, and wherein thegripping edge portions each cover at least about 30% of the perimeterline.
 10. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality ofgripping members each have a respective actuator and can moveindependently of each other.
 11. An apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising a mounting platform in communication with thetranslating member configured to hold the chute and move with the chute,and wherein the translating member is in communication with an actuatorthat defines decreasing stroke lengths for the translating memberwhereby the chute and platform are translated at iteratively lesserdistances to pull covering material over different portions of the chutebody.
 12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gripping membercomprises a contact surface that engages at least about 6 inches of across-sectional perimeter distance of the chute body.
 13. An apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of grippingmembers has a different gripping profile configuration from the others.14. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the cooperating grippingmembers include a first gripping member having a generally planarcontact edge profile and a second gripping member having a generallycurvilinear contact edge profile.
 15. An apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising an elongate chute body in communication with thetranslating member, the elongate chute body comprising opposing firstand second end portions, and a sleeve of substantially inelasticcovering material disposed in cooperating axial alignment with the chutebody.
 16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the coveringmaterial is a fixed diameter covering material.
 17. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising an elongate chute body incommunication with the translating member, the elongate chute bodycomprising opposing first and second end portions, and a sleeve ofelastic covering material disposed in cooperating axial alignment withthe chute body.
 18. An apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising a loading cap sized and configured to extend above a firstend of a product chute, the loading cap having a first internal portionthat is sized and configured to reside a distance inside the productchute and a second external portion overlying the first portion with anincreased cross-sectional area sufficient to cause the outer edgeportions thereof to reside outside the bounds of the first end of theproduct chute, the second portion of the loading cap having roundedouter edges that contacts covering material being pulled over the chuteand inhibits contact with the first end of the product chute.
 19. Anapparatus according to claim 18, wherein the loading cap has anon-circular perimeter shape.
 20. An apparatus according to claim 18,wherein the loading cap has a circular perimeter shape.
 21. An apparatusaccording to claim 18, wherein the loading cap comprises spaced apartfirst and second members with a generally medial gap therebetween, thefirst and second members being spring loaded to move side-to sidebetween an expanded configuration before insertion into the productchute and a compressed position when in operative position in the chute.22. An apparatus according to claim 21, further comprising an upwardlyextending handle that is attached to the first member and the secondmember.
 23. An apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the first memberand second members are configured as substantially mirror images of eachother and define a loading cap with a generally arcuate profile portionthat merges into a generally planar portion.
 24. An apparatus accordingto claim 1, further comprising a control module in communication withthe at least one gripper member and the translating member, a gripperpressure regulator in communication with the control module and the atleast one gripper actuator, and a translating member pressure regulatorin communication with the control module and a translating memberactuator whereby the control module synchronizes and controls thereciprocal translation of the translating member and the reciprocaltranslation of the gripper members.
 25. An automated method of ruckingsleeves of covering material onto a product chute, comprising:automatically reciprocally translating a product chute between a firstdirection and an opposing second direction about an axis of movement;and automatically reciprocally translating a plurality of grippingmembers substantially orthogonally to the axis of movement while theproduct chute is translating so that: (a) the gripping members abut theproduct chute while the product chute is traveling in the firstdirection; and (b) the gripping members are translating away from or arein a retracted configuration spaced apart from the product chute whilethe product chute is traveling in the second direction. 26-36.(canceled)
 37. A computer program product for operating an automatedrucking device that loads a supply of covering material over a length ofa product chute, the computer program product comprising: a computerreadable storage medium having computer readable program code embodiedin said medium, said computer-readable program code comprising: computerreadable program code configured to direct the movement of a translatingmember to automatically reciprocally cause the product chute to move inopposing directions about an axis of movement with decreasing distancestroke cycles over a rucking operation; and computer readable programcode configured to direct a plurality of gripping members toautomatically reciprocally move in a direction that is generallyorthogonal to the axis of movement, with the movement of the grippingmembers being timed to cause the gripping members to snugly abut theproduct chute when the translating member is moving in the firstdirection and to cause the gripping members to move away from theproduct chute when the translating member is moving in the seconddirection. 38-40. (canceled)
 41. A loading cap for a rucker apparatuscomprising a pair of cooperating spring-loaded members attached to eachother to be resiliently compressible side-to-side. 42-44. (canceled) 45.A loading cap for a rucker apparatus sized and configured to extend aproximal distance above a first end of a product chute, the loading caphaving a first internal portion that is sized and configured to reside adistance inside the product chute and a second external portionoverlying the first portion with an increased cross-sectional areasufficient to cause the outer edge portions thereof to reside outsidethe bounds of the first end of the product chute, the second portion ofthe loading cap having rounded outer edges that contact and guidecovering material being pulled over the chute to thereby inhibit contactwith the first end of the product chute. 46-50. (canceled)